


Permission

by lizandletdie



Series: The Adoption!verse [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2014-10-28
Packaged: 2018-02-23 00:30:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2527295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizandletdie/pseuds/lizandletdie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur Gold asks for Belle's hand in marriage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Permission

**Author's Note:**

> I hate that I have to do this, but apparently I do. If you're reading this fic anywhere besides AO3, it was posted without my consent and likely profited someone else. Please consider [donating](https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=CZNGXGNP4PRX4&lc=US&item_name=The%20Mantis%20Fund&currency_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donate_SM%2egif%3aNonHosted) or swinging by my Tumblr (standbyyourmantis) to let me know what you thought!

"Bae, I have a very important question to ask you," Arthur said to his son across the table of the diner.  "A grown-up question."

Bae perked up a little, confused by the sudden need to have a grown-up conversation in the middle of boy’s night.

"What’s wrong, Dad?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Now, I know you know that your mom and I have been dating for a little while now, right?"

Bae nodded, but didn’t speak, if anything he looked more confused than before.

"I want you to know that I love you very, very much," he continued.  "And I love your mom, too, and I’d never do anything to hurt either of you.  You know that, right?"

"I know, Dad," Bae replied.  "Are you okay? Is something wrong with you?"

He didn’t need Bae to say anything else to know what he was thinking, to hear the unspoken  _are you going to die?_

"I’m fine, son," Arthur said immediately.  "Nothing is wrong.  Everything is very, very right.  I want to ask your mom something, but I wanted to get your permission first because you’re the most important person in the world to both of us and because it’s going to effect you, too."

He could see comprehension dawning on his son’s face at this little preamble and he rushed to finish before Bae could do it for him.

"I’m going to ask your mom to marry me," Arthur said with a smile at the grin that had broken out on Bae’s face.  "And I’d like for us to all be a proper family if you’d like that too, and if you think she’ll have me."

Bae came around the table and launched himself at his father.

"That would be so great," Bae gushed.  "We can all be together all the time!"

"We can," Arthur agreed.  "Assuming she says yes, of course."

"She’ll say yes," Bae promised.  "She really loves you a lot."

"You think so?"

"I do," Bae said with a self-satisfied smirk.  "She’s going to say yes."

"Excellent," Arthur squished his son a little bit closer before letting the boy return to his own seat.  "So I was thinking that since you’ve known her a lot longer than I have, before the movie we might go out and see if there are any rings you think she might like."

"When are you going to ask her?"

"When it’s right," Arthur replied.  Frankly, he was scared to death.  His last marriage hadn’t gone well and it was so much more important that this one work now that Bae was involved.  And then there was still the lingering terror that she might say no.  Oh God, he was going to drive himself crazy.

"You could ask her this weekend," Bae offered.  "I have a game but I bet August’s dad would let me sleep over after."

That was pretty fast, but he couldn’t fault Bae’s logic.  He had to ask her sometime, after all.

"That might work," he said hesitantly.  "And I can trust you to keep this a secret until I’ve had a chance to ask?"

Bae didn’t reply, just shot his dad a dirty look and returned to his milkshake.

"She’s gonna say yes," Bae said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.  "Just don’t mess it up."

Well, he had the blessing of the eleven-year-old at least.  That was a good start.


End file.
